Simply The BEST Whipped Buttercream Frosting Recipe Ever (Must Try!)

Super creamy and fluffy, not too sweet — this is quite possibly the BEST whipped buttercream frosting recipe ever… A must try!

Whipped Buttercream Frosting

Call me crazy, but I’ve never been much of a fan of frosting. More often than not, I scrape as much of it off my cupcake or slice of cake as possible — kids LOVE to sit next to me at parties!

But this whipped buttercream frosting? Oh, this buttercream frosting… I personally think it is THE best buttercream frosting recipe. EVER. And I don’t take calling any recipe “the best” lightly.

Vanilla Whipped Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

Now I realize that there are really only so many ways to make buttercream frosting. A simple Google search yields thousands upon thousands of results. But a truly delicious buttercream icing is as much about the technique, as it is about the ingredients.

We’ll talk technique in just a moment, but let’s begin with the ingredients for this whipped buttercream (and there are just 4 of them!)… Start with fresh, high-quality ingredients: softened salted butter, heavy whipping cream, pure vanilla extract, and confectioners sugar.

Yes, I did specify salted butter — I prefer to use salted butter in my buttercream icing recipe. However, you should note that the salt content can vary by brand of butter.

My all-time fave is the Horizon Organic brand, but the Kirkland organic butter from Costco is an excellent option, as well. In fact, I strongly suspect that it may actually BE the Horizon brand repackaged for bulk sale. Feel free to experiment to find your favorite, though!

Don’t have salted butter on hand? As an alternative, you can also use unsalted butter and add about 1/8 teaspoon of table salt to the recipe.

Also, I stay away from adding shortening. Sure, it’s useful for helping the buttercream frosting hold its shape better in warm weather. But I find it creates an oily texture and dilutes the flavor. NOT what we want in a dreamy, fluffy buttercream!

How To Make Whipped Cream Buttercream Frosting

Now we get to the technique… Whipped buttercream is the name of the game — super creamy & fluffy and not too sweet!

The key to what I consider the best whipped buttercream frosting recipe ever starts with perfectly softened butter. We’re not talking room temperature, but you should be able to leave an impression in it fairly easily.

Allow plenty of time for it to reach this consistency, especially in cooler weather. And whatever you do, please do not use the microwave to soften it — 99.9% of the time it will get too soft, and it’s impossible to recover it at that point.

Easy Whipped Buttercream Frosting In 4 Steps

Follow these four simple steps to produce a delicious homemade buttercream icing:

1| Add your softened butter to a stand mixer and beat it with a flat paddle for about three minutes on medium.

2| Turn the mixer off and add the confectioners sugar. Mix on low until thoroughly incorporated.

3| When the butter and confectioners sugar start to create a dough-like ball, you can add the vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream. Whip on medium-high for about three minutes.

4| Continue to add more heavy cream by the tablespoon until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. Less cream equals thicker frosting and more cream creates a thinner frosting.

Voila! Is this an easy buttercream frosting recipe, or what?! If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make whipped icing like Walmart, this is as close as you can get — but BETTER, in my opinion!!!

Best Buttercream Frosting

For a batch of frosting that’s the consistency of what’s shown in these photos, I used a total of 4 tablespoons of cream. It was super creamy and fluffy, the perfect consistency for piping with a large tip onto my cupcakes.

Whipped Buttercream Icing Recipe Variations

I’ve had a number of requests for variations on this whipped buttercream frosting recipe, so I thought I’d start listing them here for easy access as I publish them. If you have a request, please contact me or leave a comment below!

Above all, have fun with this recipe! One last note — I used regular pure vanilla extract in this batch, which is why the frosting has a creamy color to it. If you prefer a truer white buttercream, you’ll want to look for clear vanilla extract.

Ridiculously Easy Royal Icing Recipe

Looking for a stiffer icing for your sugar cookies? Try this ridiculously easy royal icing recipe! No egg whites, no meringue powder, just four ingredients whipped up with a hand or stand mixer, means you can get down to decorating cookies with your kids with less mess and fuss…

I’d love to see how your whipped buttercream frosting turns out… Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!

Hi,
I have been looking for a buttercream that isn’t super sweet. I make Italian buttercream alot but it’s alot of work and uses alot of butter. With this recipe can I do less sugar or make some adjustments to make it less sweet?

Hi Colleen! I’m not a fan of achingly sweet buttercreams, so this recipe is already less sweet than a lot of other recipes I’ve tried. That said, sugar is necessary as a preservative, so I’d probably not use too much less. I’d recommend trying the recipe as written before making any adjustments.

Hi! I’ve been making your recipe for years with rave reviews (thank you!!). My son was recently diagnosed with a dairy allergy and I worried if I would be able to use this recipe anymore. I tried other recipes and they weren’t as good as yours, so I decided to try making it with vegan butter (Earth’s Balance) and full fat coconut milk for the cream… it turned out fantastic! :) I thought your other readers might like to know. Thanks again for an amazing recipe!

Hi Crystal! The buttercream will not be as fluffy and creamy with milk. You might get close if it’s whole milk, but otherwise the texture will be affected. It should still taste great, though. For a four tier cake, you’d definitely need to double it, maybe even triple if you’re filling in the middle.

I’m making your frosting today for my granddaughters Birthday cake. The party is tomorrow. It’s a 2 tiercake, so I can’t fit it in the frig. Question is, can it be left out at room temp until tomorrow’s party??? Thank you!

as a professional baker i have searched ages for a buttercream that was not too sweet, and not swiss or italian because most americans don’t like it (I have have a brutally honest family fortunately). This buttercream saved my life for my sisters birthday, it is perfectly balanced. However, I did use unsalted butter with the tiniest dash of salt. when i say tiny, i mean barely noticeable in your hand lol. I find land of lakes brand of butter makes good icing.